| Day 331: Read today's devotional on Bible Gateway. Sinned Again and AgainThis is what the Lord says: "The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the Lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed." This is what the Lord says: "The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals."
(Amos 2:4-6) ReflectGod had punished other nations harshly for their evil actions and atrocities. But God also promised to judge both Israel and Judah because they ignored the law God revealed to them. The other nations were ignorant, but Judah and Israel, God's people, knew what God wanted. God condemned Israel for five specific sins: selling the poor as slaves (see Deuteronomy 15:7–11; Amos 8:6), exploiting the poor (see Exodus 23:6; Deuteronomy 16:19), engaging in perverse sexual sins (see Leviticus 20:11-12), taking illegal collateral for loans (see Exodus 22:26-27; Deuteronomy 24:6, 12-13), and worshiping false gods (see Exodus 20:3-5). The people of Israel no longer knew how to do what was right. The more they sinned, the harder it was to remember what God wanted. RespondThe same is true for us. If we know God's word and refuse to obey it, like Israel, our guilt is greater than those who are ignorant of it. The longer we wait to deal with sin, the greater its hold on us becomes. If we sin long enough, we forget what it means to do right (Amos 3:10). Take time to remind yourself what is right, so God won't have to. | 
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